Florida · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Hallandale Beach?

A pileup on I-95 at the Hallandale Beach Boulevard exit, a rear-end on Federal Highway in front of Gulfstream Park, a left turn across Hallandale Beach Boulevard at NE 8th Avenue. If you were just in a crash in Hallandale Beach and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Hallandale-specific details, and links to the full guides.

It costs nothing to find out

If you are reading this and thinking you cannot afford a lawyer, read this part first. Personal injury lawyers do not charge you to talk, do not charge by the hour, and do not charge anything unless they recover money for you. The fee comes out of the recovery at the end, never out of your pocket. The first conversation is free. Call Clyne is free too: we ask you a few questions and connect you with a licensed Florida attorney who looks at your case at no cost. Nobody will ask you for money. Read How Much Does a Car Accident Lawyer Cost.

First, the two things that matter most in Florida

See a doctor within 14 days. Florida is a no-fault state, and your own policy's Personal Injury Protection pays your first medical bills no matter who caused the crash, but only if you get treatment within 14 days. Hallandale Beach does not have a hospital inside the city, but two are minutes away. HCA Florida Aventura Hospital on Biscayne Boulevard, just across the county line to the south, has a 24-hour emergency room and is a Level II trauma center. Memorial Regional Hospital on Johnson Street in Hollywood, to the north, has a 24-hour emergency room and is the Level I trauma center for south Broward, so the most serious crashes in Hallandale Beach usually go to one of those two. Urgent care or your own doctor counts too. Read the 14-day rule guide.

Do not give the other driver's insurer a recorded statement. They will call fast and sound friendly. You are not required to talk to them. Read what to say when they call.

Getting your crash report in Hallandale Beach

Inside city limits, the Hallandale Beach Police Department responds to crashes. Its headquarters and records unit are at 400 South Federal Highway, in the city complex next to City Hall, and the department takes report requests by phone, in person and through the records request portal on the city website. On I-95 it is usually the Florida Highway Patrol, and once you cross into Aventura or Hollywood the local department there takes over, so a crash on Hallandale Beach Boulevard west of I-95 in Pembroke Park or West Park is often the Broward Sheriff's Office. Ask the officer or trooper at the scene which agency wrote the report and get the report number.

Florida crash reports are available online through the state's Florida Crash Portal, usually within about ten days, and from the responding agency's records unit. For the first 60 days the report is only available to the people involved, their insurers and their lawyers, so have your license and the report number ready.

Roads where Hallandale Beach crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: Hallandale Beach Boulevard (State Road 858) for its whole length through the city, from the I-95 interchange east past Dixie Highway, Federal Highway and NE 8th Avenue to the drawbridge over the Intracoastal and A1A, Federal Highway (US 1) from Pembroke Road south past Gulfstream Park to the Aventura line, Pembroke Road, Dixie Highway, and South Ocean Drive (A1A) along the beach. Hallandale Beach Boulevard is one of the most congested corridors in South Florida, six lanes of casino, racetrack, shopping center and condo traffic with driveways every few hundred feet, and many of the crashes here are rear-ends at the lights, left turns into and out of the plazas, people crossing on foot, scooters and motorcycles, and drivers who left the scene. Photos of the intersection, the signals and the lane markings matter, because these crashes often turn into arguments about who had the light or who changed lanes.

What to do in the first 48 hours

• Call 911 and get a report, even for a "small" crash.
• Photograph both cars, both licenses, both insurance cards, and the scene.
• See a doctor within 14 days. Sooner is better.
• Report the crash to your own insurer. Facts only.
• Do not accept a quick check or sign anything from the other driver's insurer.
• Keep every bill, receipt and visit summary.

The full step-by-step list is in What to Do After a Car Accident in Florida.

Know the Florida clock

For most car accident injury claims in Florida you have two years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit, and if you are found more than half at fault you recover nothing. Both changed in 2023. Details in How Long Do You Have to File in Florida.

When to talk to a lawyer

Not every fender bender needs one. Talk to a lawyer when you were injured and are still treating after a week or two, when the other driver was uninsured or fled, when fault is being disputed, or when you missed work. Florida personal injury lawyers work on contingency, which means no fee unless they recover money for you, and the first conversation is free. More in Do I Need a Lawyer If It Wasn't My Fault and How Much Does a Car Accident Lawyer Cost.

More Florida towns and the full set of guides: Car accidents in Florida.

Call Clyne is a lawyer referral service, not a law firm. Stephen Clyne is not an attorney. This article is general information, not legal advice, and laws change. Talk to a licensed Florida attorney about your situation.